In my mind
by KatReenaWH
Summary: For the salvation of a friend, she's ready to get into his mind. But if they are friends?


Ordinary evening in the warehouse was marred by an unexpected event.

Agents returned with the artifact when Steve felt bad. Attribute it to fatigue, he decided not to pay attention to it and continued his way. But crossing the threshold of the warehouse, he felt even worse. Sharp pain in the heart caused him to stop. When it stopped, there are new troubles.

His eyelids grew heavy, breathing became stray. Something went wrong. Definitely, something went wrong.

Dizzy and he lost his balance and fell to the floor. He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't like to hear him. Eyes slowly closed and he fell into the void.

* * *

"What happened?" Claudia looked with fear at her partner. He lay there, breathing was steady and almost not felt. He was so calm and at peace. But what happened? "What about him?" broken voice she asked, still unable to move.

"I don't know," Artie said quietly, not looking at the girl. In fact, he is very worried about Steve, but to show that, then give Claudia another reason for worrying.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" asked redhead, staring at the friend. "How can you not to know what a person lies unconscious?"

"In a coma, to be exact," she looked dumbfounded at the agent. In a coma? And he was so calm about this reported?

"Claudia, don't worry," she heard the voice of Myka in the distance. "We'll find a way to get him back."

Back. Did she lose him again? Again. No, no and no! It will not happen again. She didn't lose him again.

"How is that even happen?" she asked, sitting down on the sofa. Behring sat beside her friend and hugged her shoulders.

"Nobody knows," it is very difficult to told that. She only knew about Claudia feelings to Steve. And it wasn't friendship feelings. "Some artifact affected him, but we can't know what" Donovan covered her face.

"And what do we do?" she asked, trying to pull herself together.

"We need to know what the artifact affected him, and then neutralize it" in the same cold voice said Artie, leafing through a book.

Not this, not this, not that again. These symptoms - loss of consciousness, coma, and then, slow heart failure - they are familiar to him, but from where... What kind of artifact?

"There is a way," unexpectedly, even for himself Nielsen cried, running to a friend with a book in his hands. "But it's very dangerous and..."

"What should we do?" Claudia interrupts him. What difference is dangerous or not. They need to bring back Steve. She needs to return him. She needed him.

"There is one artifact," sighed Arthur and answers. "He will penetrate the minds of Steve and get him out."

"But what is the danger?"

"The man got into the other's consciousness, can get stuck there and disappear forever," replies the man, staring at the text. "So I..."

"I'll go," said Claudia. Looks of agents immediately turn to her.

"No, no. I will not let you go," said Artie menacingly. "It's too risky"

"Artie, he's my partner, my friend. I don't care to risk. I returned him once, and I do it right now." Donovan firmly in charge, although her voice trembling. Is she afraid? Sure. But not for herself. She is afraid for him, that he can't go back.

"Okay" surprisingly quickly agreed Artie and gone to the artifact.

* * *

"So," Arthur returned with the artifact in his hands. "This is Rene Descartes' feather. He lived in the 16th century and was a philosopher, mathematician, and many more whom. Important thing is that the pen absorbed his thoughts and somehow became carry people in the consciousness of others." He took Claudia's hand and led her to Steve. "To get there, both of you just need to touch the pen."

She nodded and took the artifact in hand. Created a distinct feeling of deja vu. Again he on the verge of death, and she returns him with the artifact. Only this time, it may not be... Claudia shook her head, driving away bad thoughts. She's succeed. The main thing to believe.

She took a pen and put it in his hand, and then also touched the artifact.

A bright flash lit up all around, so that Claudia couldn't see anything. Just feel it. Here are her eyelids heavy, all thoughts slowly leave her head and she hits on the couch.

* * *

She falls. Falls into the unknown. Nobody knows what lies ahead. One thing is clear - she need to get Steve back. Otherwise everything is meaningless.

Fall into someone else's consciousness was worse than she thought. Looking around, she noticed the impenetrable fog, and fear turned into a panic. What to do? Where to go?

Unbearable cold absorbed her, penetrated into every cell of her body. But she can't be distracted.

The girl moved at random, hoping to her intuition. She walked for a long time and it seemed that everything has lost its meaning, it will not work. She will never find him. Will not bring him home.

When hope is almost extinguished, the fog began to dissipate. Not thinking about what might be ahead, Claudia added step. Appeared in front of a small clearing. It was dark, and only a small ray of light lit up the place.

Going a little ahead, Donovan noticed figure. In it she immediately recognized her friend.

Forgetting about the cold and gloom, the girl ran forward and stopped in front of the guy.

He sat motionless. His eyes were open, but seemed clouded. So empty. So... lifeless.

Claudia fell to her knees beside him and began desperately to shake the guy for shoulders. Doesn't help. He didn't move.

"Please... I beg, wake up," she whispered. Tears welling in her eyes, around getting cold, but she didn't care. She found him and now her task is to save Steve. Whatever it takes.

"Please, answer me, Jinksy" she cried with broken voice, but guy didn't respond.

That's incredible. He can't stay here forever. It's not fair.

Forgetting everything else, she gave way to tears. What a fool she, if thought she have the strength to fight. Fighting for two.

Claudia raised her eyes full of tears on the friend. Strange, but she was ready to swear that for a moment, his eyes took a conscious expression. He understood. Understand what was happening around. But he couldn't did anything.

Collected his thoughts, she went back to the partner. She sat right in front of him and took his hand.

"Steve" for the first time that she called his name. "I know you can hear me. Please, answer me"

Nothing has changed. He also looked at nothing, his eyes expressed nothing.

"I didn't seem, right?" she asked him. No reaction. Again. "Oh, answer me at last!" unable to stand, she cried. "I know you can hear me. Know it's hard, but you have to fight. You have to..."

It's nothing. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes. Is that really?

"You've got to fight..." she whispered, and released his hand.

"What's the point?" Claudia opened her eyes. His eyes all also expressed nothing but... He said something.

"You gotta get back, that is the point" she said, looking forward to the friend. Nothing has been lost. There is still a chance. She can still save him.

"Why?" he replied. His voice was firm and impartial. "What will I do there?"

"What?" indignant girl. "And what about your life, warehouse, the artifacts?"

"There is also life. And here's much calmer than there"

"But you... you..." Claudia didn't know what to say. His eyes became meaningful, but it disappeared as soon as he answered. He fights. Fights with the artifact. "You don't want a quiet life. You love adventure. You love warehouse"

"It doesn't matter," Steve replied coldly.

"And what matters?" Claudia exclaimed, looking at her partner. "You have to fight, you know it!"

"Why fight? For what?"

"For the life"

"But here I am alive too" girl had already begun to enrage those same type of answers. But she must give him time. He can. He's strong.

"But there's your life," Claudia said quietly. The guy told her silence. "And what about me?" Donovan asked suddenly. His eyes. They flashed an understanding of what is happening, but then it disappeared. "What about me, Steve? How can you leave me alone, after all we've been through?" sobbing, she said.

They spent a few seconds in silence, until he looked at her. His gaze was still clouded, but there was hope. Hope for salvation.

Claudia sat closer to the guy and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You said you have no reason to fight?" she asked quietly. "Then fight for me." She approached him. Their faces were just a few inches apart. "Please, fight. I really need you." And again this glimmer in his eyes. Awareness of what is happening. But he was still under the influence of an artifact.

"I had not realized how are you important to me," the girl continued. "How important just to see you, hear your voice. Just know that you're near. Please, fight for me. I don't want to be alone. Without you."

Glimmer in his eyes. Last. Final. Fog blanketed his eyes disappeared and Steve looked at his partner. Again, these native blue eyes. He's again here. It remains only to come back.

But they are also not moving. None of them dared to disturb this idyll.

And then something happened that none of them had expected. Steve hugged the girl, pulling her to him and kissed her. She hugged his neck and kissed him back.

They didn't know how long it lasted, but when they broke apart, the fog enveloping the clearing, and a little ray of light, illuminating the space before, now enveloped all around.

"You did it," Claudia whispered, without not breaking the embrace. "You could go back"

"It was something to fight for" the guy smiled.

Again, this bright flash light all around. They fall again, but this time no one knows if it will work. Can they were able to overcome the artifact? Do they return home?

* * *

The man walked around the office, sometimes looking at the agents, lying around. How could he be so reckless? And if something happens to them? What if they both don't come back? It will be his fault.

"Artie, calm down," said Myka, sitting in a chair. She was worried no less Nielsen, but didn't want to show it.

"I shouldn't have let her go," muttered Arthur. "I had to go myself"

"Artie," Myka went to a friend. "Don't blame yourself for what has not happened yet. I'm sure they'll be good and..." agents turned around when they heard the noise.

Bright light interfered open his eyes. "I've died and gone to heaven?" Claudia thought, trying to get up. After a while, she still managed to open her eyes. Office in the warehouse. All the same way as it was. Eyes fell on her partner. He's also lying and didn't move, his eyes were closed.

Didn't happen. No, no.. It couldn't happen. He could... He...

"Claudia, are you okay?" agents immediately ran up to their friend.

"Yes.. Yes, I'm fine," She nodded and stood up from the couch. "How much time I was there?"

"It is enough that we feared for you," said Nielsen.

Steve slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw, Artie talking about something with Claudia. They came back? They did it.

He could not get up because of the terrible pain throughout the body. A side effect of the artifact? Possible. But it doesn't matter now. They came back. Both. And they have a lot to talk about.

"How much time has passed?" Claudia froze when she heard the hoarse, but so familiar voice. Abruptly turned around, she looked at her partner, right into his eyes. Alive blue eyes. They did it. It's a miracle. But then, they are in the warehouse to see miracles.

Laughing, girl immediately fell upon the neck to her friend. But was he her friend? In fact, after what happened between them, in his mind, she couldn't communicate with him as before. And then there's another question. Did he remember that?

Claudia immediately pulled back and looked into his eyes. She could see the joy and... smile? What does this mean?

"We have a lot to talk about, my Girl Wonder" as if reading her mind, Steve said. Donovan smiled. He remembers. Remembers.

Artie and Myka standing aside, blankly looked at each other.

But they didn't care. Because now they know their feelings. They had something to fight for.


End file.
